Garbage Collection Alternatives for Icon
Report ID: TR-324-91Author: Hanson, David R. / Fernandez, Mary F.
Date: 1991-05-00
Pages: 17
Download Formats: |PDF|
Abstract:
Copying garbage collectors are becoming the collectors of choice for very high-level languages and for functional and object-oriented languages. Copying collectors are particularly efficient for large heaps because their execution time is proportional only to the amount of accessible data, and they identify and compact this data in one pass. In contrast, mark-and-sweep collectors execute in time proportional to the heap size and require a second pass to compact accessible data. The performance of existing systems with old mark-and-sweep collectors might be improved by replacing their collectors with copying collectors. This paper explores this possibility by describing the results of replacing the mark-and-sweep collector in the Icon programming language with four alternative collectors, three of which are copying collectors. Copying collectors do indeed yield better performance, but at a significant cost in space. Measurements suggest that the mark-and-sweep alternative is best for Icon programs that have 1-5MB heaps.
- This technical report has been published as
- Garbage Collection Alternatives for Icon. Mary F. Fernandez and David R. Hanson, Software--Practice and Experience 22(8) 1992, pp. 659-672.